Amidst war of words between Odisha and Chhattisgarh chief ministers Naveen Patnaik and Raman Singh respectively on Mahanadi water sharing dispute, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti today refuted to comment on the issue saying the matter sub-judice.

“As Odisha moved the Supreme Court on Mahanadi issue, I could not comment on it”, Uma told reporters after visiting Lord Jagannath temple in Puri here today.

When asked about the issue, she said, “Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh have complained against each other. Both the states urged the Centre to halt the projects on Mahanadi River in their states. Meanwhile, Odisha has moved the court so I can’t speak about it”.

Clarifying about river interlinking, Uma said that the water of Teesta River and Sankosh River will be brought to Mahanadi to recharge it and the water will be utilized for drinking and irrigation in drought-hit areas. The surplus water will be sent to Godavari River.

“I just want to make it clear to Odisha about Mahanadi that the river water will be recharged by bringing water from Teesta River and Sankosh River and that water will be used for irrigation and drinking in the drought-hit areas on banks of Mahanadi. Later the rivers will be interlinked by releasing the surplus water from Mahanadi to Godavari River. Before that no interlink will be made”, she told reporters.